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Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
323 Congress Avenue, First Floor
ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
April 6, 2005

Members Present: Shelly Brisbin, Ron Burzese, Jerry Doran, Linda French, Randall L. Glock, Julie Maloukis, Scott Meyer, Juan Munoz, Robert Raines, and Judy Watford.

Members Absent: None

Capital Metro Staff Present: Nancy Crowther, Jan Johnson, and Denise Guerrero ADD

Guest(s): Christine Guerva ADD/DELETE

The meeting was called to order at 5:00PM. All decisions are voted upon and all votes are unanimous unless stated otherwise.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES.

The minutes of the March 2, 2005 ACCESS Advisory Committee Meeting were approved as written.

CITIZEN'S COMMUNICATION.

None.

INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE PHONE PROGRAM PILOT TESTING RESULTS

IVR for STS did somewhat better than fixed route. However, Jan Johnson stated that IVR got a rating of 3-out-of-10 in terms of satisfaction with service.

IVR still had difficulty recognizing voices.

Lot of testers did not finish

Lot of trouble with trip planning

There will be a meeting to determine if IVR will go live on April 29, 2005. It will probably not. However, it is possible that certain pieces of the IVR system may go live before the entire system does. Jan Johnson stated that the technology used for IVR is still in its beginning stages.

ACCESS decided that it would be good if people had more time to test IVR. Many were frustrated that the time given to test the system was over the Easter weekend. Randall G. Glock sent out e-mails to everyone with information on how to access the system. Also, Capital Metro would talk with Jane Schroeter to make sure ACCESS had everything it needed. Also, there was frustration with Ms. Schoeter not being able to attend ACCESS meetings to give reports and it is hopeful that she will be able to make future meetings.

A discussion occurred about how there was frustration that ACCESS does not get enough notice and time to do its job of reporting to Capital Metro. It was stated that ACCESS's job is to report to Capital Metro in order to serve customers with disabilities; not to "rubber stamp" whatever Capital Metro des. Jan Johnson stated that ACCESS has been making a difference.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Nancy Crowther stated that this went very well considering it was the first time. 275 people were present for lunch. There were lots of vendors and good feedback.

ACCESS would have liked a survey provided at the end of the event in order to critique and offer more suggestions for improvements.

At the transportation session, there was not any objections to ACCESS's proposed changes to STS guidelines and policies. Most of the session focused on fixed routes, sidewalks, and STS>

The biggest issue at the transportation session appeared to be that drivers were using cell phones for personal use while driving vehicles; especially on STS. Randall G. Glock urged ACCESS members to call in drivers who use cell phones while driving.

The best part of the event was the opportunity for networking.

There were some areas where improvement was needed.

  • Better accessibility for wheelchairs
  • Better use of time management
  • Not enough time in sessions
  • Too much political "patting on the back", which took a lot of time

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS.

STS Subcommittee

Juan Munoz reported that the window for how long drivers will wait for passengers was discussed. More discussion is needed. Currently, drivers will wait for 5-minutes after scheduled pick-up time.

More hearings are needed to let the community know about propsed changes to STS policies and guidelines.

The proposed charge for passengers who wish to pay a fine rather than serving a suspension will be adjusted each year based on how much costs fluctuate for providing an average STS ride.

Fixed Route ADA Subcommittee.

Randall requested help with chairing the Fixed Route Subcommittee. Mr. Ron Burzese agreed to serve as a Vice Chair of the Fixed Route Subcommittee if needed.

Randall G. Glock reported on three propsed changes to fixed route services in August. These changes focused on providing services to new areas and would affect the #1, #27/#127, and #52. JULIE I COULD NOT SEE THE STUFF….I know the #27 and # 252 were to serve Wal-Marts…I'll let you write what you will here. There was concern over reduced frequency and confusion for passengers over which route went to which place.

Petition for changing #320 route is still going on. People can call 369-6272.

There will be a "show and tell" of the new Capital Metro bus signs next month. Randall will keep ACCESS posted.

The half-price cards (50-cents per ride) are going away. They will be replaced by $1.00 and $2.00 ALL DAY passes. The $2.00 pass is for flyer routes.

The project at St. Davids Wheelchair Center in the Hancock Center is still facing obstacles to getting started. They believe they are ADA compliant. Randall will keep talking to people. The community may need to get involved in order to make progress on this project.

CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT

Ms. Shelly Brisbin stated that there was nothing to report from board meeting.

She was disappointed that the Board of Directors did not have any questions about the proposed changes to the STS policies and guidelines. She is concerned that ACCESS is not taken seriously.

Ms. Brisbin would like Charis of Subcommittees to provide agendas in a timely manner so she can have communications with them in order to make general ACCESS meetings run more smoothly.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ACCESS meetings are from 5:00PM to 7:00PM. Members should be on time and stay for the entire meeting.

Next ACCESS Advisory Committee and Subcommittee Meetings.

2005 Access Advisory Committee Meeting Schedule

Main Access STS Subcommittee ADA Subcommittee
2005 1st Wednesday 4th Wednesday 4th Wednesday
April XXXXXXX 27 27
May 4 25 25
June 1 22 22
July 6 27 27
August 3 24 24
September 7 28 28
October 5 26 26
November 2 9 9
December 7 14 14

The Chair adjourned the meeting at 6:41 PM.


line seperatorCapital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
Specific Route Information | (512) 474-1200 | (800) 474-1201